AH: Differing views on San Francisco's burgeoning "art empire' As a recent graduate of the Academy of Art College, I thank you for Victoria Colliver's insightful article ( "Building an art empire," Business section, June 21). I and many of my fellow students believe we have been prepared well for careers in art - a fact due more to the wonderful, experienced faculty than to the administration.

The bitterness over being used for money, especially in the smaller, less lucrative departments, has turned into a running joke of sorts among the students. I am disappointed that I must be ashamed of a school that has trained me so well.

Reading Elisa Stephens' quotes only strengthened my belief that the college's president is essentially a talking head. A woman who obtained an education in law, and not in art, may not understand the needs of art students. In all fairness, I believe she does try.

However, anyone who takes down the work of four graduating seniors in order to host a Christmas party in one of the galleries must reassess whether the wishes of the students really do come first. Heather Polley San Francisco

The Stephens family deserves appreciation and thanks from newspapers and the San Francisco community instead of the criticism it received.

Who else has taken large, unoccupied buildings in the downtown area and turned them into useful, attractive additions to The City?

Most of these buildings were standing idle for several years. They are filled with more than 5,000 young people who are in turn pouring a tremendous amount of revenue into the local businesses. Restaurants, retail stores, places of entertainment and housing rentals - to name but a few that are benefiting from the academy. Not to mention the tax base The City derives from these buildings as well.

And where else is a school training so many young prospective artists to be hirable, productive members of the community. My daughter has been actively employed as an illustrator and graphic artist since her graduation in 1995. How many people realize that the academy supplies free shuttle bus service for public events at the Palace of the Legion of Honor museum?

I think we all owe the Academy of Art College our grateful appreciation and thanks for making this a richer city. Diana Creber Novato

Whale of a story

News of whales being poisoned ( "Toxic chemicals in deep-feeding whales suggest global spread," July 5, page A-13) deserved to be on the front page.

The environment is being poisoned at an increasing rate. Seals and whales are being beached at an alarming rate. We consume part of our diets from the environment that seals and whales survive in and have daily contact with. It is time to make the powers-that-be aware of the detriments and danger to humans of man made chemicals and the means of their disposal. The whales are the modern-day equivalent of the canaries that died in the mines.

We do not defecate in our living rooms. Why does industry defecate in the environment that our short and long term security depends on?

I would like to read about issues that affect my health and welfare and that of my offspring. Being concerned with this is a natural thing. Said Farah Kentfield

Saving Laguna Honda

I read with interest the article in The Examiner, "Laguna Honda in peril," (July 12). It is good that regulators have backed down on their threat to withdraw funding from patients cared for there, but their threats are causing an increase in costs of care. Probably, San Francisco can afford it now that the economy is good.
Robert H. Irwin
, M.D. Twain Harte

Meating of the minds

In response to
Craig Scheiner
's question, "If there is something wrong with eating horses, why are they made of meat?" (letter, July 15): According to my dictionary,

"meat" is "flesh used for food." Just because a creature (including a horse or a human) has flesh doesn't mean it should be eaten.

Of course, you can disagree, but be careful: The next time someone describes your build as "meaty" or says you need

"more meat on your bones," you could be fair game for human consumption. Deb McKinney Emeryville

Bilbao's "sore thumb'

Yes, the museum is amazing, breathless, and possibly thrilling. But Bilboa is the wrong place and the wrong time for this architectural wonder. The Guggenheim would fit beautifully in a Spanish plain, rising up through the mist in all its glory, a 20th Century baroque structure uncluttered and unhampered by the city around it. It would fit. But Bilboa is not a Spanish plain; it is a Basque industrial city, with centuries of history and tradition.

The Guggenheim sticks up from Bilbao like a sore thumb. I spent two days there looking for a Band-Aid big enough to cover the thumb. Unfortunately, I was not successful and departed to run with the bulls in Pamplona. Now, there's tradition. James Thurber Los Altos

Reading about Indians

In the editorial "Nobody talks about Indians" (July 12) you cite the lack of attention paid to American Indians. That could be because not many people know anything about their rich history.

In 1961, American Heritage published "The Book of Indians" with an introduction written by President John F. Kennedy. I believe this book should be required reading for every American student. Our history as it relates to the American Indians has nothing to do with what we see in the movies. Unfortunately, movies seem to be American students' sole source of information on this subject. Jason Warden San Rafael

Government bribery

The ruling of the 10th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals that paying off cooperating witnesses with promises of money, soft sentencing and agreements not to prosecute reveals the ugly truth about use of paid informants by the government ( "Getting leniency for testifying banned by court," main news, July 4). It is patently unfair to use testimony that has been obtained with threats, promises of leniency or outright cash bribes.

Such witnesses have a great motivation to say whatever the prosecution wants them to. The wrongness of allowing to testify witnesses who have made bargains with prosecutors is easily seen by reversing the situation. To wit, when a defendant pays, threatens or bribes witnesses, it is a crime and the testimony is never allowed if the intimidation or bribery is known to the court. Why should it be any different for the prosecution? A fair trial is impossible when witnesses are under pressure.

The use of intimidation and bribery to gain convictions with false testimony is something we used to expect from communist and fascist dictatorships. Now we see American prosecutors using Gestapo tactics to convict people. This outrage must stop. Redford Givens San Francisco&lt;